The Beatles – “Composing Outside The Beatles: Lennon & McCartney 1973-1980” [DVD Review]

After the collapse of one of the greatest bands the world has ever known, all of the individual members of The Beatles went on to solo careers with varying degrees of success. Paul McCartney and John Lennon arguably had the most notable and successful careers post Beatles and this DVD takes a look at the pairs distinctly different, yet equally as interesting careers; McCartney with Wings and Lennon with The Plastic Ono Band.

Through in-depth interviews with band members, music industry personnel and friends of both musicians, viewers get a clearer understanding of the struggles both musicians endured in an effort to separate themselves from The Beatles and establish themselves as solo artists in their own right. Stepping out of the shadow of their previous band proved very difficult at first for both of these legendary musicians and this film touches on the trials, tribulations and sheer hard work that went into forming their respective groups.

As I have mentioned before I am a huge fan of these types of films; I absolutely love getting a behind the scenes look at my favorite bands. This film satisfies that need perfectly. In addition to the numerous informative interview clips there are lots of rare film and video clips of Lennon and McCartney from the years between 1973-1980. At the end of the day Composing Outside The Beatles is a solid, well-organized, informative documentary that I would definitely recommend.

Run Time: 139 minutes
Release Date: October 25, 2011

Check out the song: “I Want To Hold Your Hand”